Timing instrument



Feb. 9, 1937. p, T-r. 2,069,876

,TIMING INSTRUMENT Filed Jan. ,28, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet Feb. 9, 1937. R T 2,069,876

TIMING INSTRUMENT Filed Jan. 28, 1935 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Feb. 9, 1937 PATENT OFFICE TIMING INSTRUMENT Leonard P. Dorsett, Bethlehem, Pa., assignor 1 The Standard Electric Time Company, Spn'n" field, Mass, a corporation Application January 28, 1935, Serial No. 3,701

- 10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in timmg instruments, and more particularly to timing instruments used to ac curately measure time within a small fraction of a second.

One object of this invention is to provide an improved timing instrument which shall have greater accuracy than mechanically-acting timing instruments heretofore known.

Another object of this an improved timing instr invention is to provide ument formed of simple elements, readily manufactured and readily assembled to produce a durable, efficient construction at minimum cost.

, With the above and other objects in view, this invention includes all improvements over the prior art which are disclosed in this application.

In tne accompanying drawings, in which one way of carrying out the illustrative purposes:

invention is shown for Fig. 1 is a front elevation illustrating one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

without cutting away the motor construction;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, most of the parts being in elevation,

with the electromagnet energized and the clutch-members engaged;

Fig. 4 is a detached perspective view of the driven clutch-member; a

Fig. 5 is a similar view of the clutch-fork. In the description and claims, the various parts are identified by specific names for convenience,

but they are intended to be as generic in their application as the prior art will permit.

Referring to the drawings, I and II are front and rear main movement plemental rear movement-plate.

plates, and I2 is a sup- Movementplate I2 by the two pillars I4, Pillar I extends between and interconnec Rotatably journaled at ment-plates I0 and II,

time-arbor or time-shaft ts the plates I0 and 42. I6 and I1 in the moveis a time-element or I8, on which are mounted a pair of clutch-members or elements I9 and 20. mounted on the shaft I8 Clutch-member I9 is rotatably and has formed on the clutch-member or secured thereto a spur-gear 2| which meshes with a companion spur-gear 22 of the same size and number of teeth, which spurgear 22 is firmly secured to an arbor or shaft 23,

which is journaled in the movement-plates I0 and I I.

The shaft 23 is normally driven at constant speed by a suitable motor such, for example, r 24 which is connected as the synchronous moto to the rear movement-plate II in any suitable way, as by the supporting studs 25. Suitable reduction-gearing of known form may be used with the motor, to preferably drive the gears 22 and 2| at a speed of one revolution per second, 5 although other speeds may be provided'if so desired.

The clutch-member has secured thereto or formed thereon,'an arm 26 provided with a' slot 1 and provided at its opposite end with a counl0 terweight 28. I 2

Gear 29 is firmly secured on the arbor I8 and rests against the front face of the front movement-plate I0. In securing the bushing 30 to the shaft I8, the bushing 30 and the gear 29 are pressed toward each other with a concave-convex spring-washer 3i, which may be made of spring brass or bronze, between the bushing 30 and the movement-plate I0 to bring about suitable friction between the bushing 30 and the washer and the plate I0, for a purpose to be later described whereupon the bushing is firmly secured in its position upon the shaft l8 by means of the two screws 32.

Riveted to or otherwise secured to or formed with the bushing 30 is a heart-shaped resettingcam 33, which has a projecting-pin 34 which engages in the slot 21, so as to cause the clutchmember 20 and bushing 30 to rotate in unison with the shaft I8, but to permit longitudinal sliding movement of the clutch-member 20 on the shaft I8.

The gear 29 is connected, through the medium of dial-work or gearing (not shown), with the gear 98, which gear 88 carries lugs 99, I00, to which lugs is secured a spring-wire IOI which frictionally engages in the groove I02 of the hub I03 of the heart-shaped cam 91, which cam .91 is secured to the time-sleeve 35 by means of a key I04, to rotate the time-sleeve 35 at any desired ratio compared to the time-shaft or arbor I8. The time-shaft I8, together with the pointer 36 secured thereto, may, for example, rotate one complete revolution in a second, while the timesleeve 35 and the pointer 31 secured thereto may A be made to have one complete rotation in one minute.

The clutch-members I9 and 20 respectively have clutch-facing elements 38 and 39 preferably formed of organ-bellows leather, and each leather preferably of about .015" thickness. The leather facings 38 and 39 may be secured to the clutch-members I9 and 20 by cementing thereto with shellac or any other suitable material, and preferably have the clutch-faces of the facings -the clutch-member characteristics. Thus, when the clutch-member 38 and 39, which are adjacent each other, formed of the hair-side of the leather. These facings 38 and 39 of organ-bellows leather are characterized by being soft and compressible, and give good clutching action with light forces. This leather is also pre-treated so that it will not absorb oil.

The hub 40 of the clutch-member i9 has its left-end central annular portion 4| adapted to bear against the rear movement-plate II, but

has the larger-diametered annular portion 42 cut back so as to be out of contact with the movement-plate Owing to this construction, I9 possesses self-aligning 20 is forced toward the clutch-member I9, the latter is able to rock to thenecessary degree to perfectly align the clutch-faces of the facings 38 and 39, so as to bring about perfectly uniform pressure and clutching action between the clutch parts.

The hub 43 of the clutch-member 20 has'an annular groove 44 in which engage the opposite fingers or prongs 45 which may be formed as part of a U-shaped piece of piano wire secured by solder 46 or otherwise to the bar or lever 41, to thus form clutch-moving means in the form of a clutch-actuating arm or clutch-arm or fork 48, which is pivoted at 49 to the upstanding ears 50 formed as part of the U-bracket 5| which is secured by rivets'52' or otherwise to the arma-v The armature or clutch-arm actuating-member 53 has slots 62 at its opposite sides to contain the projecting hinge-fingers 63 of the U-shaped supporting-bracket 64. Y

The locking-bracket 65 has an enlarged head 66 adapted to be inserted through the slot 61 in the member 53 in order to assemble the parts together and permit of the head 66 being brought in position (Fig. 1) to prevent the member 53 from falling off its hinged connection with the hinge-fingers 63. The bracket 65 has a pair'ofelongated slots 68 through which extend a'pair of screws 69 which screw into the lower arm of the bracket 64, and by means of the split lock-- washers 19, firmly secure the two braclgets 64 and 65 together with the enlarged head "56 in proper adjusted position. The bracket 65 at one end has an angular bend 1| provided with notches 12 at its opposite sides, in which is anchored a ring-portion-13 of a coil of a yieldable member in the form of a coil-spring 14, which has a ring 15 at its opposite end anchored in'an aperture 16' in the end of a screw-threaded bolt 11, which passes freely through a hole in the lower portion of the member 53 and carries a nut 18 threaded on the bolt 11 to draw the coil-spring 14 into any desired degree of. tension adjustment. The nut 18 islocked in'any desired position of adjustment by virtue of its engagement by the messed-out lugs 19. The said nut 18 may be turned to adjust the tension of the spring 14 by drawing it axially outwardly beyond the said lugs 19. After the nut has been turned tions. 84 and 85 extending through slots in the end of the core which is adjacent the armature 53 which latter is of magnetic material and acts as an armature for the electromagnet. The portions 84 and 85 together with the end-portions 86 The core 8| of the and 81 of the shading-coil, form a complete circult. This'shading-coil acts in a known manner to substantially double the number of pulls of an alternating current on the armature-member 53, to thus minimize the tendency of the apparatus to produce noise or humming.

The electromagnet 62 has terminals 88 and 69 which may, if desired, be connected to the same source of electrical supply 90 and 9| as supplies current to the motor 24, or, if desired, a separate source of current may be utilized for the electromagnet 82.v The switch 92, serves for energizing the electromagnet at such times as is desired.

The resetting heart-shaped cam 33 is engaged bya roller 93 rotatably mounted on a stud 94 secured to the plunger 95 which is mounted for upand-down sliding action (Fig; 1) and is normally held in its up position .by a spring (not shown). The plunger 95 may carry a usual operating-button (not shown) on its upper end for. hand engagement to press the'plunger 95 down to cause the roller. 93 to press against and rotate the cam 33 until the low point 96 of the latter comes beneath the roller 93 to thereupon bring the pointer 36 to its central or zero-position.

Thetime-sleeve 35 also has secured thereto a similar heart shaped cam 91 which will be actuated in a similar manner by a roller similar to'the roller 93, carried by an arm interconnected with the plunger 95, so that when the latter is pushed down, it also rotates the resetting-cam 91 to properly reset the'pointer 31 to its original position.

I In operation, the motor 24 normally drives the gears 22 and 2| and clutch-member 9 at constant speed, for example, one revolution per second. Upon'desiring to count or time anything, the switch 92 is closedv to thereupon energize the electromagnet 62, which attracts its armature-m ber 53 and causes the clutch-fork 48 to move 7 utch-member 20 into engagement with the clu h-member I9, to thereupon start -the pointers 36 and 31 to travel through their timing or counting movement. A Upon opening the circuit 92 to break the circuit to the electromagnet 82, the spring 14 pulls the armature-member 53 away from the electro-v magnet and causes the enlarged portion 6| of the stud 54 to throw the clutch-fork 46 to the right (Fig. 2) to thus unclutch'the clutch-members l9 and 29. When this unclutc hing action takes place, the concave-convex spring-washer 3|, by virtue of its'friction, causes the-bushing 30 and the arbor, l8 to very promptly stop, thus leaving the pointers36 and 31 in their counting or time-indicating position The pointer 36, for examp1e,

may indicate divisions .on a large outer circle divided up to indicate hundredths of a second, while the pointer 31, for example,-passes over an inner I move said clutch-members to unclutched position;

I instantly begin their travel.

ever, that by providing the spring 14 with an circle having sixty divisions to indicate seconds.

Upon closing the switch 92,'there is, as is well known, a'certain lag 'in the action of the electromagnet .82, so that the pointers 36 and 31- do not I have found, howadjustable construction such as ll, 78, the speed of opening of the clutch-members can be so adjusted that the overrun of the pointers 36 and 31 will substantially exactly equal the lag or underrun of the pointers in starting. This can be done with such great accuracy that in practice, devices constructed in accordance with this invention are able to operate to indicate time intervals to an accuracy of 1/600 of a second.

It will be observed that when the electromagnet pulls the armature-member 53, the spring 59 provents the violent powerful thrust action of the electromagnet from acting directly upon theclutch-membe-r 2, but instead, provides a cushioned or yielding action whereby the clutch-fork 48 is caused to push the clutch-member 26 into clutching engagement with the clutch-member I! by a yielding action due to the spring 59.

After the. position of the pointers 36 and 31 has been observed so as to measure or count any given thing, the plunger is pushed down against the action of its spring to act upon the heart-shaped cams 33 and 91 to return the pointers 38 and 3'! to their original position ready for the next time it is desired to close the switch 92 to again measure or count anything.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than thatherein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiment istherefore to be considered in-all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the. meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A timing instrument including: a time-element; :1. normally-driven, constant-speed motor; clutch members to operatively connect said timeelement and motor together; a clutch-moving means for relatively moving said clutch-members to clutched and unclutched positions; yieldable means acting on said clutch-moving means and tending to relatively move said clutch-members to one of' said positions; clutch-actuating means to relatively move said clutch-members to the other of said positions against the action of said yieldable means; and adjustable means to adjust the yieldable action of said yieldable means to vary the speed of actuation of the clutch by said yieldable means to equalize the underrun and overrun of said time-element.

2. A timing instrument including: a time-element; a normally-driven, constant speed motor; clutch-members to operatively connect said timeelement and motor together; a clutch-arm for relatively moving said clutch-members to clutched and unclutched positions; yieldable means acting on said clutch-arm and tending to relatively clutch-actuating means to relatively move said clutch-members to clutched position against the action ,of said yieldable means; and adjustable means to adjust the yieldable action of said yieldable means to vary the speed of actuation of the clutch by said yieldable means to equalize the underrun and overrun of said time-element.

3. A timing instrument including: .a time-element; 9, normally-driven, constant-speed motime-element and motor together; a pivoted clutch-arm for relatively moving said clutchmembers to clutched and unclutched positions; yieldable means acting'on said pivoted clutcharm and tending to relatively move said clutchmembers to unclutched position; electromagnetic clutch-actuating means to relatively move said clutch-members to clutched position against the action of said yieldable means; and adjustable means to adjust the yieldable action of said yieldable means to vary the speed of actuation of the clutch by said yieldable means to equalize the underrun and overrun of said time-element.

4. A timing instrument including: a time-element; a normally-driven, constant-speed motor; friction clutch-members to operatively connect said time-element and motor together; soft, readily-compressible friction-facing between said clutch-members; a clutch-moving means for relatively moving' said clutch-members to clutched and unclutched positions; yieldable means acting on said clutch-moving means and tending to relatively move said clutch-members to one of said positions; clutch-actuating means to relatively move said clutch-members to the other of said positions against the action of said yieldable means; and adjustable'means to adjust the yieldable action of said yieldable means to vary the speed of actuation of the clutch by said yieldable means to equalize the underrun andv overrun of said time-element.

5. A timing instrument including: a time-ale:

ment; at normally-driven, constant-speed motor; friction clutch-members to operatively connect said time-element and motor together; said bellows leather friction-facing between said clutch-members a clutch-movingmeans for relatively moving said clutch-members to clutched and unclutched positions; yieldable means acting on said clutch-moving means and tending to relatively move said clutch-members to one of said positions; clutch-actuating means to relatively move said clutch-members to one of said engagement; a clutch-moving means for relative.-

ly moving said clutch-members to clutched and unclutched positions; yieldable means acting on said clutch-moving means and tending to relatively move said clutch-members to one of said positions; clutch-actuating means to relatively move said clutch-members to the other of said positions against the action of said yieldable means; and adjustable means to adjust the yieldable action of said yieldable means to vary the speed of actuation of the clutch by said yieldable means to equalize the underrun and. overrun of said time-element. I

7. A timing instrument including: a time-element; a normally-driven, constant-speed motor;

clutch-members to operatively connect said timeelement and motor together; a pivoted clutcharm for relatively moving said clutch-members to clutched and unclutched positions; a pivoted clutch-armmctuating-member for moving said clutch-arm to relatively move said clutch-members to clutched and unclutched positions; yieldable means acting on said clutch-arm-actuatingmember and tending to relatively move said clutch-members to unclutched position; clutchactuating means acting on said clutch-arm-actuating-member to relatively move said clutchmembers to clutched position against the action of said yieldable means; and adjustable means to adjust the yieldable action of said yieldable means to vary the speed of actuation of the clutch by said yieldable means to equalize the underrun and overrun of said timeg-element.

8. A timing instrument including: a time-element; a normally-driven, constant-speed motor; clutch-members to operatively connect said timeelement' and motor together; a pivoted clutcharm for relatively moving said clutch-members to clutched and unclutched positions; a pivoted clutch-arm-actuating-armature\ for moving said clutch-arm to relatively move said clutch-members to clutched and unclutched positions; yieldable means acting on said clutch-arm-actuatingmember and tending to relatively move said clutch-members to unclutched position; electromagnetic clutch-actuating means acting on' said clutch-arm-actuating-armature to relatively move said clutch-members to clutched position against the action of said yieldable means; and adjustable means to adjust the yieldable action of said yieldable means to vary the speed of actuation of the clutch by said yieldable means to equalize the underrun and overrun of said-timeelement;

9. A timing instrument including: a time-elemerit; a normally-driven, constant-speed motor; clutch-members to operatively connect said timeelement and motor together; a pivoted clutcharm for relatively moving said clutch-members to clutched and unclutched positions; a. pivoted clutch-arm-actuating-member for moving said clutch-arm to relatively move said clutch-members to clutched and unclutched positions, the connections between said clutch-arm-actuatingmember and said clutch-members including first yieldable means; second yieldable means acting on said clutch-arm-actuating-member and tending to relatively move said clutch-members to unclutched position; clutch-actuating means acting on said clutch-arm-actuating-member to relatively move said clutch-members to clutched position against the action of said second yieldable means; and adjustable means to adjust the yieldable action of said second yieldable means to vary the speed of actuation of the clutch by said second yieldablemeans'to equalize the underrun and overrun of said time-element.

10. A timing instrument including: a time-elemerit; a normally-driven, constant-speed motor; clutch-members to operatively connect said timeelement and motor together; a pivoted clutcharm for relatively moving said clutch-members to clutched and unclutched positions; a pivoted 'clutch-arm-actuating-armature for moving said clutch-arm to relatively move said clutch-members to clutched and unclutched positions, the connections between said clutch-arm-actuatingarmature and said clutch-members including first yieldable means; second yieldable means acting .on said clutch-armactuating-member and tend- 

